


Learning Curve

by Mister_Spock



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 07:51:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11985462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mister_Spock/pseuds/Mister_Spock
Summary: McCoy needs to talk some sense into Jim if they're ever going to work together again.





	Learning Curve

**Author's Note:**

> Set after Jim's recovery in 'Into Darkness' but before the five-year mission starts.

The PADD dropped into his lap, startling him, spilling a little of the beer in his hand as he sat up and looked at where exactly the PADD had come from. 

McCoy was making his way round to the seat beside him and dropped into it heavily. 

“What is this?” Kirk asked, licking the traces of beer from his hand before placing the glass on the table in front of him. 

“Take a look,” McCoy said. He didn't have a drink, clearly only there to see Jim.   
He watched the slight smile that graced Jim's features slowly slide off of his face as he digested what was on the PADD. 

“Your resignation?” he asked, eventually. 

“Yeah.”

“Why?” He sounded genuinely hurt. Confused even. 

“I can't do it, Jim. I can't do a five-year mission.” 

“Why not? I can't- I can't make it without you. I wouldn't want too.” 

“You'd barely notice a couple of days in.”

“That's not true.” He looked at the PADD again. “This hasn't been submitted yet?” 

“Not yet, but it's going to be.”

“If this is about being in deep space-”

“It isn't. It's about being in deep space with you.”

“What does that mean?”

“I had to watch your dead body be unzipped from a body bag, Jim.” 

“I know,” he said eventually.   
They hadn't talked much about it, most of those closest to him were too upset to talk about it, but he'd managed to get enough information from Spock about his death and what orders Spock had given to know he'd been taken to sick bay for the official death certificate to be issued. 

“Someone had a PADD ready and waiting with your death certificate on it, ready for me to sign.” 

“Bones, I had no choice. And I'd do it again to save the crew. It's my job.” 

“If it were just that, I could maybe get over it, but it's not.”

“Well, what else is it?”

“It's you. Just you. You as a Captain. Pike was right to take the Captain's chair away from you.”

“What?”

“You dropped your first officer into an active volcano, Jim.” 

“He wasn't supposed to fall into it, that was unexpected-”

“No! That's exactly what we said would happen. And I told you both it would happen, Scotty told you it would happen and you didn't listen.” 

“Spock's points were valid. It was logical.” 

“He told you what he wanted you to hear and you brought it. And you overlooked every other concern raised because you wanted to save those people.” 

“We all wanted them saved, Bones.” 

“If you overlook every objection I ever make just because I'm not a Vulcan and not logical then I might as well not be there.”

“We all wanted to save them,” Jim repeated. 

“Saving them doesn't save Vulcan. I can understand Spock getting caught up in that grief, but you need to be objective.” 

“Bones, we saved them. No one got hurt.”

“But they so easily could have. You had the whole crew on board a ship that wasn't designed to go under water for starters. Sulu, Uhura, and Spock could have died in the volcano, we could have died on that planet. You just got lucky.”

Jim let out a defeated sigh. “Pike said the same thing. I- He was right to take the chair from me. But I promise, Bones, I have learned from it. I will listen if you think Spock's ideas are too dangerous.”

“It's different saying that now. What about when you have a whole planet of people at your mercy and Spock giving you the death stare. You really think you can stand up to that?”

“I can. But I can't prove it to you unless you're there to see it.” 

“I could read reports-” 

“Who'll object strongly enough against Spock if you're not there? You're one of the only crew members who doesn't treat him differently because they're... intimidated or respectful or whatever it is. I need that if I'm going to know when he's being reckless.”

“So you admit it. He was reckless.” 

Jim sighed. “I don't think he is. Not really. If Nero hadn't happened-”

“But it did.” 

“Maybe if he hadn't been Captain when it happened he might not blame himself so much.”

“Jim, he'd blame himself whatever happened. You need to be the voice of reason and even if it pisses him off, sometimes you have to say no.” 

“I will.” 

“So you're not submitting this then, right?” 

“For now. You can still leave a five-year mission, you know. If you start-”

“I won't, Bones. I need you and him. It won't work otherwise.”

“Don't make me regret it, Jim.”

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by re-watching Into Darkness and how frantic Jim is to save Spock and how much upset it causes Uhura and how genuinely concerned Bones is, I was just wondering 'why the hell did they agree to this?' Also inspired by Karl Urban not wanting to come back for Beyond.


End file.
